


Incubi

by xxkattiaxx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Consensual Kink, Consensual Sex, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 16:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2075229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxkattiaxx/pseuds/xxkattiaxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A realization struck Lucius Malfoy as he studied his long time friend: a man will only crave that which he cannot have. Truly, it is only when the object of desire has moved well beyond his grasp that a man recognizes his need for what it is and then will move Heaven and Earth to reclaim it. A novella filled with romance and humor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Incubi

Ch. 1— The Price of Good Intel  
.  
.  
.  
A realization struck Lucius Malfoy while he studied his long time friend: a man will only crave that which he cannot have. Truly, it is only when the object of desire has moved well beyond his grasp that a man recognizes his need for what it is and then will move Heaven and Earth to reclaim it.  
And currently, the subject of this revealing insight was worrying a hole in Lucius’s aubusson rug.  
“Will you stop your pacing? I swear you’re wearing a path straight to hell!” Lucius studied the rug thoughtfully, trying to decide whether or not this would be a bad thing. “Hmm, better yet, go ahead. Hecate knows I don’t want to look at it anymore; I believe that was Narcissa’s last purchase for this room, and as such... to hell with it.”  
A swish of his wand and the offending rug was banished right out from under the feet of one Severus Snape. To his credit, Severus stumbled only slightly, turned and narrowed his dark eyes at the blond gentleman currently lounging casually on the settee.  
Lucius only shrugged and waved his hand as if to say, As you were.  
After giving him a long, measured look, Severus fumed, “I cannot believe she would do this. Just up and disappear without a by-your-leave for a week—A WEEK, mind you!” He ran his hand through his disheveled hair to emphasize his point. “Does she not realize how much this will set our research back? Of course not! Irresponsible bit of baggage that she is. She doesn’t give two damns for the trouble she’s caused me—us!”  
Lucius held up his hand at that. “Now, now Severus. You must be fair. Ms. Granger did ask you weeks ago if she could have leave, and as I remember it, you agreed to it.”  
“AGREED?!” Snape huffed in outrage as his frenetic pacing resumed. “I most certainly did not agree to this travesty—”  
Again, the blond man on the settee raised one long, manicured finger, “You most certainly did. I was there. Ms. Granger, in point of fact, had me there for this express purpose because she knew you would forget. As you always conveniently do when she wants to take leave.” He smiled blandly. “You know, it is a shame, truly, that she was made a Gryffindor. The unfortunate circumstance of her birth aside, she would have made a brilliantly cunning Slytherin.” He toyed with the rim of his glass, making the fine crystal hum slightly as he thought of the possibilities had Miss Granger been chosen for that most noble and esteemed tradition of Slytherin house.  
But his smile soon faded as, on second thought, it occurred to him that had she been assigned to Slytherin, or any other bloody house for that matter save Gryffindor, he would most likely be kow-towing to a half-blooded, serpentine would-be god instead of sitting on his settee, drinking a fine port, and watching his brother in arms fall to pieces over the muggle-born witch that had captivated him so.  
It was truly a pity the poor, besotted fool had no idea of just how deeply he was in it.  
Lucius finished his port in one swallow, and pointing his wand with a steady hand at the decanter, magically filled his glass with two-fingers more.  
“Well, regardless of her asking, it still does not negate the fact that she is being irresponsible! A week! A bloody week’s leave-taking effective tomorrow. Who does she think she is? We have deadlines to meet! We are running a growing business for fuck’s sake!”  
Lucius tsked at the profanity. “Ms. Granger made certain to push her part in the trials back a week. Honestly, man! Do you not read your planner? She updates them often enough!”  
Severus had the decency to look chagrined, rubbing the back of his neck in what Lucius knew was his time-old expression of I’m caught out but you can believe I’m not going to fess up to it. “It still does not negate the fact—”  
“What troubles you more?” Lucius interrupted, “The fact that she’s going away or the fact that she’s going away with her muggle young man?”  
Severus grunted. “And that’s another thing! A muggle! A MUGGLE! She’s dating a bloody, wanking muggle. Not even a wizard!”  
“Hmmm, no. You’ve quite, over the years, intimidated and chased all of those away.” Lucius mumbled, not caring if Severus heard him or not.  
Severus resumed his pacing more aggressively than ever, his arms now behind his back, his robes catching full billow as his thoughts continued to spin. He suddenly stopped. “And what’s more? She wouldn’t even let me meet the blaggard. Marc, was it? Mac?”  
“Actually, I believe the muggle’s name is Mic.” Lucius sneered, detesting the diminution. “As in Michael Jessup Fortenbrass the fourth.” He watched in satisfaction as Severus looked up questioningly.  
Lucius only shrugged. “She is our partner, and I believe in being informed. Just because you couldn’t bring your overly large nose out of some tome or another for two seconds to vet the man Ms. Granger has been seeing for four months, does not mean that I didn’t.”  
Raising a solitary eyebrow, Severus asked his friend casually. “And just what is it you’ve found?”  
Lucius smiled, his teeth glimmering in the firelight. “Ah. A want of information, Severus? It’s going to cost you...”  
Severus rolled his eyes, and spotting his discarded port, picked it up and sipped, the movement calculatedly casual.  
“I’m certain I can find out just as much—if not more information than you, Lucius.”  
Lucius only smiled, this by-play between the two old friends timeless in its dance. How often had they competed for intelligences, ferreting it out for both the dark and the light? Lucius tapped a well-manicured finger to his bottom lip. “Hmm, that depends. It took me two months to find out what I do know, and truthfully, what I do know is not very much considering the man is a muggle. But—” he shrugged, “if you think you can do better in the next twenty-four hours, mon frère, well then, be my guest.”  
Severus’s demeanor was blank, but for the almost imperceptible tic of his lower jaw that indicated he was grinding his teeth. Ah, how Lucius did love him! Hard as granite in so many ways, and yet, if one knew just how to look, one could read him as well as any open book to see the emotion inside.  
Lucius crossed his feet in front of him and took another casual sip of port.  
The next move belonged to Severus.  
Severus gave a snort and shook his head. “What is your price?”  
Hmm, now this was curious. No dithering back and forth. No by-play. This must mean very much to him, indeed, for him to be acting… well, almost Gryffindorish about the thing. How very curious. Lucius smiled like a shark. “I will tell you everything that I know, and in exchange, I want to come along.”  
“Come along? What do you mean?”  
Lucius only rolled his eyes up to the heavens. “Honestly, man! You cannot seriously have been living under a rock for the last four months, have you?” He began ticking points off his fingers. “The girl is besotted, she has met his parents. And they are going away for a week’s vacation to the colonies of all places.” He suppressed a delicate shiver. “Do you honestly not see where this is going?”  
Severus paled as the full import of Lucius’ words struck him.  
Lucius nodded. “Yes. The muggle Mic is going to propose to her sometime this next week. And I do believe that our Ms. Granger is sincerely going to take him up on the offer.” At Severus’ bewildered look Lucius threw up his hands. “Do you not listen to her when she talks? She’s spouted off effusive praise about the man for the last month!”  
“Exactly! I tune out her blathering. You know I do. It doesn’t matter at all who she sees or where she goes as long as her work’s good and done. That’s all I care about!” Severus was breathing heavily at the end of this little speech, fooling no one, not even himself.  
“Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much.” Lucius sang softly to himself. He gave Severus a knowing look. “Let us be frank. You’ve interrupted nine out of the last ten dates Ms. Granger has had with the muggle on grounds of one ‘emergency’ or another that has come up right before she needs to leave. And the only reason you didn’t interrupt the first was because the first was on the day she and the muggle Mic met. And need I not have cause to mention the contingent of wizards you’ve very ‘helpfully’ dispatched over the years through your judicious use of legilimency— all to the good in looking out for her benefit of course.”  
His eyes narrowing in thought, Lucius stated, “Why, it is my personal belief that Ms. Granger is going half-way ‘round the world with this muggle Mic to escape you for this reason alone. If ever there was a cockblock, thy name be Severus Snape.” And cheering his own turn of phrase, Lucius swirled the remaining amber liquid in his glass and upended it for the second time that evening.  
The darker wizard’s hands were flexing back and forth reflexively as if he wanted to strangle something…or someone, and Lucius thought he heard a growl. “Well then, tell me, damn you, what it is you do know and be done with it!”  
Lucius rose from the settee and made his way over to his brother, placing a confiding hand on his shoulder. Instantly, the darker man stiffened, and Lucius’s touch gentled and fell away. His voice softened, “I will tell you all that I know… and confide in you my plan, if you agree to my price, Severus.”  
.  
.  
.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come,
> 
> xxkattiaxx


End file.
